Your Morning Dump….where All Star Weekend is still awful

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

No real links out there today that can develop into an article, so heres a topic for everyone to debate instead…

The NBA has long been trying to force feed its All Star Weekend down the throats of its fans. Never has one event lived off its past performances without giving us any new memories as long as the NBA’s All Star Weekend. Think about it, how many times do we see clips of the MJ dunk contest, the Magic Johnson game, or any other game that most high school or college kids weren’t even alive for? Yes, those are a great part of the history of the game, but when you base an entire reputation of a weekend off something that happened 20 years ago, what does that say about the current product? That’s like Toyota telling us the Camry hasn’t had any issues since 1993, so lets just keep putting the same thing out each year with nothing newer on it than the year. (Oh wait, isn’t that what Harley does to it’s customers?)

This weekend we saw a Dunk Contest that had a guy jump over a painting, when in previous years we had people jumping over cars. We’ve seen SO many renditions of the free throw line dunk that its lost its luster completely, and we give players unlimited attempts at completing a dunk within a specific time frame. The “Skills” competition was abysmal, a course that I think I saw the local YMCA running for its youth program, and those kids actually tried harder (A missed layup by Teague???). And most of all, an All-Star “Game” where the only defense played the entire night was Kobe re-asserting his dominance over Queen James; other than that, ZERO defense played by either side the entire night. The NBA outta be ashamed that they even sell tickets to this event.

Back in the early days of the NBA, the All Star game meant something to the players. They hated the other conference and wanted to prove that they were the superior conference, they played as if it were Game 7 of the NBA Finals, and with that level of talent on the floor I wish I could have been a fly on the wall to hear the locker room speeches given out to a group of future Hall of Famers. That is what made the All Star games great, having a chance to see the best of the best go up against each other, or team together and play their hardest. Now in a league that is riddled with trades, free agency, and AAU buddies, there is no hatred anymore. The event has become more of a red-carpet event where 85% of the camera time was spent showing Lebron in his Leather Sweatpants, and Blake Griffin in his too tight leather outfit (please don’t let this leather trend catch on).

This weekend was nothing more than an exhibition because quite frankly these guys don’t care about the game, they don’t care about making history, they care about the paycheck. Take a look at the last three years, who are the players that have tried the hardest in each of those games? I’ll give you a hint, one plays for the Lakers and one for Oklahoma City. Why is it that those two are the most widely appreciated players in the game right now, but the superstars with superstar egos such as Lebron, Wade, Paul (in previous seasons) , and Griffin that have turned the weekend into a mockery are so disliked despite their level of talent? Because they don’t care about the game we love. If the NBA is going to continue to pee on our heads and tell us its raining they might as well cancel the event all together like the NFL is doing. There is no sense in trying to force an event to make history all for the sake of making history. If an event is good enough, it will make history on its own, just like its players….

Uncle Drew was nice in the 3 point contest. Got to say it is still fun to watch. and the finals of the Dunk contest were nice although I could tell you who was in it and I was fairly sober

Noori

They should have the losing conference take a loss in the W-L column and the winning conference get a win. Then they’ll try hard…but that’ll never happen.

I stopped watching once KG went out.

Also Ke$ha sucked ass and the game took FOREVER to start.

Something needs to be done to make this game more intense…lame

zippittyay

Having every team in a conference take a loss is only meaningful when it comes to home court adv in the finals. So why not do what MLB did? Make the winning conference have home court in the Finals?

Astarot

Intriguing idea. But that’s something for “old” NBA and reasonably minded CEO’s. In today’s NBA nobody’d ever do something like that. It’s all about commerce and the money not about the game with Stern and his crew behind the wheel.

LA Flake

Some players chosen for the ASG know they have no shot at the Finals, so why would they care about the outcome? And why punish those who actually have something to lose? Not fair, IMO. Just lose the pre-game bullshit. Anyone sick and tired of the same acts/celebrities? #StayhomeBeyonce.

NateB

Oh yeah, those guys you listed are so much more “disliked” than Kobe and have such bigger egos than Kobe; Kobe may be the biggest jerk in the history of a league full of jerks – which team is this site affiliated with, anyway?

Nick Sannicandro

Putting the colors aside, Kobe is respected because he has always competed and never mailed it in. He hates losing and that earns my respect and the respect of any real basketball fan. you can hate the lakers but you have to respect talent and someone who just flat out wants to win no matter what.

LA Flake

Those two blocks were nice but Kobe’s matador D (more the norm) makes Rondo blush. And owning LBJ? That’s not hard. Just make him go left and he becomes a bad jump shooter.

LA Flake

Also, Kobe wants to win no matter what? That’s weak, Nick. Who doesn’t want to win no matter what? I can’t think of a single respectable NBA player who doesn’t want to win no matter what but some folks make it sound like Kobe’s the only one who wants to win. PP OWNED his ass in 08 and throughout his career and Kobe flat out sucked in the 2010 Finals when he was handed the MVP because no one really deserved it in that series.

Kobe is overrated. Not even half as good as Jordan.

Nick Sannicandro

that last line is where you lose all cred.

Double P

Kobe sucked in the 2010 finals?? Maybe game 7 but he was absolutely unbelievable in the other games

Shawn

I respect Kobe, I don’t respect Lebron, Wade, or Howard. Kobe is driven by winning and doesn’t give a crap what people say, like kg and goes 110%. Lebron had to have fun in order to play 100% and “lost” his “love” for the game for 2 seasons before miami.

Nick Sannicandro

BINGO!!! put the colors a guy wears aside, if he is a driven athlete you have to respect that despite how much you hate his team

iamsaws

I watched about 3 minutes.

Its like watching sex scenes with your parents in the room as a kid.

just awkward and uncomfortable

WinstonSalems

I’m not even sure what that means.

Watching the All Star game last night was THAT uncomfortable for you? It’s an All Star game. If you want to watch these guys play at a high level, watch the Olympics. Why should the All Star game have any significant impact on the regular season or postseason. It’s just a way for the NBA to make money and for the players to have fun. This ain’t your grandaddy’s league anymore.

Matt W

I’m surprised to hear you say that Blake Griffin is widely disliked. I love that guy, and I don’t know a person who dislikes him at the level of the other guys you put him with.

Alex

You’ve never seen him flop, have you?

Kinda hard to miss… he flops literally every game.

Nick Sannicandro

he’s got the entitled whiney brat attitude that Wade and Lebron have developed. He never fouls without acting like it was a travesty that the refs had the galls to call something on him, and whenever someone fouls him he acts like the fake tough guy from school that wants to fight everyone but knows he never would actually do it. I could pick out the ego maniacs during the dunk contest from a mile away. They were the ones strutting all over the court acting as if they belonged on there, listen your a fan sit in your seat your not a part of the show unless you are competing in the dunk contest. KG sat in his seat…..

LA Flake

Yup. Blake’s a little bitch.

NateB

You guys are on drugs if you think Kobe doesn’t have the same whiny entitled complaining attitude that you’re attributing to these other guys; Kobe is despicable and anyone who thinks otherwise should go post comments on a Lakers site

Iridaceae

Totally agree.I didn’t even watch the game this year.

KY Celts fan

The All-Star weekend has certainly lost its appeal. The dunks aren’t original anymore. What’s the point of the shooting stars challenge or the skills challenge?

Maybe being an All-Star should become something like being an All-American in high school or college. It’s just an honorary thing where you get a plaque and possibly shake the President’s hand.

Astarot

You’re right nobody cares anymore. I wish the hate attitude come back but I don’t think it’s gonna happen. It’s a party this days every guy up there wanna show off dunks dribbles tricks they don’t wanna compete against each other. It woud be great if they’d play for real but I think most of a fans want those All Star Games full of fun, they don’t want to see real games anymore that’s sad. And NBA just want to give them the product they want to make more money.

Brett Szabo

Barkley, is right, yes I said it, Barkley is right…

he said the stars like LeBron, Kobe, Blake etc OWE it to the fans to compete in the dunk contest, and that they don’t do it cause it may tarnish there legacy…. makes me so angry, the amount of money these players make, how much the fans spend on them, and they can’t give back for one weekend.. such a joke. the rules need to go back to 2 dunks and out, and no props. even the announcers (like Mr. excitement himself Kenny smith…. yeah), shit all over the event the whole time. The all star game might have no hope, but we can atleast make the other events worth watching.

I’m so sick of players that are jokes to the game, Howard, wade, queen James, cousins, etc etc. I’m ready for ainge to pick up MJ at 50, maybe Patrick Ewing at 50+, I’d rather watch 50 year olds who will go out there and have that snarl and competitive-ness then these players who mock the great game of basketball, and don’t give it there all for us fans.

Nick Sannicandro

I agree completely on the props and the two dunk rule. This prop crap has made average dunks look better than they really are. The griffin dunk wasnt as hard as McGees last year, it was just because he used a prop that he won….its a prop contest now not a talent

LA Flake

Does anyone get the feeling that PP will come out and kick some serious ass the rest of the way for being snubbed? I have a feeling he was sitting at home and watching the game thinking, ‘Really? Paul George? Jrue Holiday? Luol Deng? Brook Lopez? Over me???’

Go show’em, PP!

Noori

Pierce and KG should go to the dunk contest IMO!

Chulinho

The best part of All-Star Weekend was KG telling Craig Sager he looked like a Christmas ornament.

My idea for the Dunk contest would be to bring out a giant shark tank and have LeBron wear a black leather jacket so we could all realize it has jumped the shark. Maybe for the actual game our all stars could play a team of international all stars just to get some juice back into it.